Surfactants (i.e., such as surface-active agents, soaps, wetting agents, dispersants, emulsifiers and detergents) are a multi-billion dollar annual business with applications spanning from household cleaners (such as detergents and hand soaps) to industrial large-scale applications in areas ranging from oil production to pollution control. For the most part, surfactants are produced from inexpensive raw materials by economical methods.
Typically, viewed as a consumable resource, surfactants are disposed after use. However, in recent years, concerns have been raised over the environmental fate of surfactants in wastewater streams. Especially in cases where surfactants are employed to disperse or mix hazardous materials with water, the resulting wastewater stream must be segregated and treated to eliminate the non-aqueous contaminants, such as surfactants. This treatment process can be time and resource intensive.
Accordingly, what is needed is a process whereby a surfactant may be economically and selectively removed from a mixture, such as a wastewater stream.